


A Gentle Comfort

by DisguisedasInnocent



Series: Femslash February 2016 [26]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Huddling For Warmth, Missing Scene, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 04:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6224827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisguisedasInnocent/pseuds/DisguisedasInnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexa of the Tree People might not understand the restrictions of the Ark, but in listening to Clarke's explanations of her life amongst the stars the Commander gains an understanding of Clarke's pain. </p><p>
  <em>(Or, the story of how Lexa finds out about Clarke's imprisonment and her father's death during a thunderstorm).</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Gentle Comfort

The rain fell from the sky in bucket-loads. It crashed through the canopy of the forest in sheets of water, streaming through the greenery to splatter on the ground, forming miniature rivers and lakes between the trees. Clarke stood at the edge of the Commander’s camp, her head tilted backwards, and her eyes closed as she luxuriated in the feeling of the water rushing down her face. It trickled over the bridge of her nose, down the contours of cheeks, before it dribbled from the ridge of her chin. 

“You should not dawdle in the rain Klark.” Lexa murmured, lifting the volume of her voice to cut through the white noise created by the raindrops. “We should move indoors.” 

“I know.” Clarke smiled, turning her head to look over her shoulder at the Commander, her eyes landing on the woman’s veiled face. “It’s just… This is the most water I’ve ever seen.” 

Lexa blinked and pursed her lips, “surely you have viewed over bodies of water before Klark.”

“Anya and I,” Clarke said her voice wistful at the mention of the other woman, “jumped into a lake—but that was for survival, not enjoyable. Octavia was bitten by a river snake, and we could not go back into the water after that.”

“The river snakes are a hardship for all those that live in these woods.” Lexa muttered with a frown marring her lips. “I have lost many of my warriors to their teeth. What of your Ark though? Was there not water there?”

“Oh, yes.” Clarke nodded her head. “There was water, but never enough. I can remember not even having water to bathe with from time to time, and many more times when the rations were restricted.”

Lexa let her eyes roam across Clarke’s face, picking out the frown that stretched across the woman’s lips, before peering into her expressive blue eyes. “The more you tell me of your Ark the more restrictive it seems Klark kom Skaikru.” 

“The Ark?” Clarke hummed thoughtfully as she let Lexa’s words reverberate through her mind. “I suppose restrictive is a good word for it. We didn’t have the resources up there, in the sky, it was a closed system. But, it wasn’t a perfect system. The human body is not wholly efficient, and the recycling systems were not either.”

“I do not understand Klark,” Lexa said with a furrow between her eyebrows. The dark haired woman lifted her eyes to the sky before shifting to rest her hand on the small of Clarke’s back. “Come, we must get inside, there will be lightning soon and we do not wish to be outside when it comes.” 

“Sha.” Clarke whispered as she let herself be led by Lexa’s gentle hand. 

“You are learning Trigedasleng?” Lexa asked with a lift of her eyebrow and surprise colouring her tone. 

“It seemed…” Clarke paused, pursing her lips, before shrugging her shoulders. “It seemed appropriate Commander.” 

Lexa lifted the entrance flap of her tent and pushed Clarke through the opening before she ducked underneath it to join the younger woman. “It is not that it is inappropriate Clarke,” she murmured, “I am merely surprised.” 

“The rest of my people might not understand that this alliance is beneficial to both our people, but I do.” Clarke said with a shrug of her shoulders. 

The dark haired woman shrugged her waterlogged jacket from her shoulders, draping it over the arm of her throne, and turned to Clarke. “You should remove your jacket Klark, it is important that you get warm and dry as soon as possible.”

“I don’t have anything else to wear.” Clarke replied letting her shoulders lift into a shrug. “I’ll be all right.” 

“No.” Lexa shook her head. “You may borrow some of my spare clothing. We should both change and rest in front of the fire. The storm will last many hours at this time of year.” 

Clarke blinked slowly before dipping her chin into a nod. “If that’s what you think is best.” 

Lexa’s lips quirked up into a smile, “I have weathered many of these storms Klark, experience is the best teacher, but you are new to storms.” 

“I am new to Earth.” Clarke corrected with a curl of her lips and a shrug of her shoulders. 

“Sha,” Lexa said, “ai get kiln.” 

“Chit?” Clarke asked letting her eyes follow Lexa as she stepped behind a partition into a separate part of the tent. 

“It means I know.” Lexa replied when she appeared out from behind the partition wearing a pair of cotton shorts that exposed her legs and a tank top while holding a pair of loose trousers and a soft finely woven cotton shirt in her hand. “These should fit you.”

“Mochof Leksa,” Clarke whispered as she reached out to take the clothes from Lexa’s outstretched hand. “What about underwear?”

Lexa let the corners of her lips lift upwards into a smile. “I did not think you would wish to sleep in bindings Klark, it will be many hours before you are able to return your tent, you may as well spend the night here. There is no better protected place.”

“Oh,” Clarke whispered, “that… That makes sense.” 

“Change Klark,” Lexa whispered, “I will get the fire started in the sleeping area. Join me when you are finished.” 

“Right.” Clarke swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she watched Lexa disappear back into her ‘room’ once more before she began to strip the wet clothes from her body. Clarke tugged her shirt up and over her head, dropping it to the floor before unsnapping her bra and tugging Lexa’s cotton shirt onto her torso. It took another handful of seconds to shove the boots from her feet and push her trousers down her legs before she slid into the clean, warm, and dry pair that Lexa offered. Clarke tucked the pile of her wet clothing on the edge of the dais that Lexa’s throne sat on before padding around the partition to join Lexa. “So,” she murmured, “where do you want me?”

Lexa let her eyebrow rise as her eyes roamed across Clarke’s face. “Does that mean something else to your people than it does to mine Klark?”

“I…” Clarke blushed, heat rising to her cheeks, “I don’t know? Um, where should I sleep?”

“There is only one bed Klark,” Lexa pointed out with a kind smile, “do not worry. I shall do nothing untoward with you. You are my guest, and a fellow leader of your people.” 

“Right,” the blonde haired woman breathed out as she moved to sit on the edge of Lexa’s furs. “I haven’t ever really done this.” 

“Was companionship yet another restricted activity on your Ark Klark?” Lexa asked.

“Sort of,” Clarke nodded, “spending the night with anyone was forbidden unless you were over the age of eighteen. Teenagers… Well, teenagers will be teenagers. But, as the daughter of a council member I was monitored more closely than others, and then… Well, I didn’t really get the chance to socialise much.” 

“The…” Lexa frowned and bit her lip. “The children sent down with you. They are different to the rest of your people.”

“Yes.” Clarke agreed with a nod of her head. “We were all prisoners on the Ark. If you committed a crime up there those below eighteen were imprisoned until a hearing on their eighteenth birthday, if you were of age, you were floated for your crimes.” 

“Did you commit a crime Klark kom Skaikru?” Lexa asked softly as she joined Clarke on the bed, lifting the furs for Clarke to climb underneath before joining the other woman. 

Clarke let her head fall to rest on the pillowcase before she nodded. “Yes.” 

“What was your crime?” Lexa asked as she shifted to place her hand on Clarke’s hip her thumb rubbing across the skin soothingly.

“I wanted to save my people.” Clarke whispered. “But, I committed treason against the council in the attempt.”

“You were brave Klark,” Lexa murmured, “to fight so hard for your people. I have watched your Council and they are neither kind nor just.” 

“I’m not brave.” Clarke sighed, shaking her head as tears welled up her eyes. “My Dad… He was brave.”

Lexa’s heart shuddered in her chest at the sound of Clarke’s hitched breathing and the choked tone of her voice. The dark haired woman slipped her arm further around Clarke’s hip to draw her back into the protective embrace of her body. “You acted with your father.” Lexa concluded. “It was a brave act Klark, your Nontu would be proud of you.” 

“I hope so,” Clarke breathed out, her voice quiet, as she reached down to tangle her fingers around Lexa’s hand.

“Rid op Klark,” Lexa whispered softly into the nape of Clarke’s nape, “deyon komba raun.”


End file.
